The John Armstrong Prize will be awarded annually by the British Commission for Maritime History for the best English language article in the field of maritime economic history published in any peer-reviewed, scholarly journal during the previous year.

The prize is in memory of Professor John Armstrong (1944-2017). The once-neglected field of coastal shipping was one which John made very much his own, with contributions including work on shipping’s relations with railways, the conference system, development of trade routes, freight rates and coastal shipping’s role in pioneering technological change. Many of his papers were collected in The Vital Spark: The British Coastal Trade 1700-1930 (2008).

Although perhaps best remembered as a maritime historian, John also made significant contributions in other areas of transport history and in business history. He was a long-running editor of the Journal of Transport History, and headed the team that edited the Companion to British Road Haulage History (2003). John’s impact in business history was also significant, including editorship of the Journal of the Business Archive Council from 1984 to 1988.

In judging entries particular note will be taken of John’s academic interests, which encompassed coastal shipping, coastal trade and the rise and importance of steam navigation. The prize winner will receive a cheque for £250 which is funded by a generous legacy left to the British Commission for Maritime History by the estate of John Armstrong.

Nominations are invited from journal editors, as well as from Trustees and Fellows of the British Commission for Maritime History.

An electronic copy of the submitted article, published in 2018, must be sent to the BCMH Treasurer, Dr Roy Fenton: roy@rfenton.co.uk. The closing date for nominations for the 2019 prize is 31 March 2019.